In an effort to improve passenger safety, modern automobiles employ various means to control component failure during an impact event, such as by absorbing energy. For example, crumple zones, crush cans, and the like are commonly located in the front part of automobiles to absorb energy during a head-on impact event, and they may be found in other parts of the automobile as well.
Intake manifolds having various modifications have been proposed as means for absorbing energy during an impact event. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,387 discloses an intake manifold that can be broken along fragile zones in order to absorb an impact of a crash. U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,366 discloses an intake manifold that comprises fragile or brittle parts so that the intake manifold is bent when an impact occurs at the front of the vehicle, thereby absorbing energy during an impact event. Indeed, because they have the potential to improve passenger safety, many manifolds that incorporate means for absorbing energy during an impact event have been previously proposed and disclosed.
As in so many areas of vehicle technology, there is always room for improved passenger safety.